Winding machine



March 3, 1953 w. L. PERRY WINDING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April7, 1950 1 720821287 krap Z W. L. PERRY WINDING MACHINE March 3, 1953 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 7, 1950 Liar? Ky March 3, 1953 w. PERRYWINDING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 7, 1950 Mani m 6"" 1. 7% gMarch 3, 1953 w. L. PERRY 2,630,275

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March 3, 1953 w. L. PERRY WINDING MACHINE Filed A ril 7, 1950 5Sheets-Sheet 5 pli err r Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE WINDING MACHINE New Hampshire Application April 7, 1950, SerialNo. 154,553

8 Claims.

This invention relates to that type of automatic winding machine inwhich the supply package of thread to be wound and the thread guide areboth located beneath the winding bobbin, and constitutes an improvementupon United. States Patent No. 2,426,168 granted August 26, 19%7. It isgenerally desirable as in that patent and in United States ReissuePatent No. 22,492 and Patents Nos. 2,377,367 and 2,395,028 to locate thesupply package beneath the winding bobbin so as to avoid complication orinterference with the automatic bobbin-supplying mechanism which islocated mainly above the level of the winding bobbin, and also so thatthe operator will not need to raise the heavy supply packages to anelevated position. It is moreover desirable as in Patent No. 2,426,168to locate thread to run with less variation in tension and 'allows thethread guide assembly to run more easily. The reduction of frictionalaction of the thread guide upon the thread is particularly desirable inthe case of synthetic filaments and more especially of the type of pliedyarn in which there is a difierence between the characteristics of thedifierent plies.

A principal object of the present invention is to improve automaticwinding machines having this general relation of the supply package andthread guide to the winding bobbin, by improving the mechanism foreffecting the transfer of the supply thread from a full wound bobbinover into association with a new empty bobbin to be wound.

The invention aims particularly to provide simple, reliable and longlasting thread-positioning mechanism adapted to carry thread intoposition to be associated with a new winding bobbin in cooperation witha thread guide located beneath the winding bobbin.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thisspecification and its drawings wherein the invention is explained bydescription of a preferred embodiment thereof. In'the drawmg's:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the bobbin-changing mechanism of a travelingspindle automatic filling winding machine, showing one of the severalwinding units entering the bobbin-changing mechanism and showingfragments of winding units at further succeeding positions;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of one of the travelingwinding units;

Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a plan view, a front elevation, abottom view and a right side elevation, of the thread guide assembly ofa winding unit;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken through the axis of rotationof the winding bobbin, showing the inner or base center and therotatable thread positioning mechanism associated therewith, thethread-positioning mechanism having been rotated part way from itsinactive position so that its thread-engaging hook is lowermost;

Fig. 8 is a front face view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a diagram taken from the same point of view as Figs. 2 and 8,showing successive positions of portions of a winding unit,corresponding to centerlines aa, bb, c-c and dd of Fig. 1;

Figs. 9 9 and 9 are diagrams in the nature of fragmentary right sideelevations showing portions of a winding unit and its completed bobbinat the aforesaid lines, aa, bb and cc; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 9 to 9 showing a winding unit, ingreater detail, at the line dd.

Although some features of the invention may advantageously be applied towinding machines in which tending mechanism attends to the changing ofbobbins at only a single winding unit, or tending mechanism attends tothe changing of bobbins of a plurality of winding units simultaneously,the invention has its fullest utility when applied to a multiple unitmachine in which a tending mechanism attends to the changing of thebobbins of a plurality of winding units in succession. In the preferredform of mechanism shown, the relative travel, as between the pluralityof winding units and the bobbin-changing tending mechanism, is broughtabout by moving the winding units in a procession past the tendingmechanism as in the above mentioned patents.

The winding machine to which the invention is shown as applied includesa plurality of traveling winding units 15 movable by means of a chain I8upon tracks consisting of upper and lower rails I6 and I! respectively,in a closed counterclockwise path of travel having straight sideportions and semi-circular end portions as in United States ReissuePatent No. 22,492 and United States Patent No. 2,395,028.

Each traveling unit includes an upright frame element I5 extendingbetween the rails I6 and IT, with the winding mechanism of the unitcarried at the top of the upright element I5, and with provision forholding the supply of thread to be rewound near the bottom of the unit.

Each winding unit is preferably individually driven by its own electricmotor I9, such motor deriving its current through the frame of themachine and through suitable brushes contacting with stationaryconductor bars so as to wind thread onto an individual bobbin B as thewinding unit travels around the machine. The conductor bars 20 extendcompletely around the machine excepting in the region of the automaticbobbin-changing mechanism.

The winding bobbin B is held between inner and outer chucks or rotatablehollow centers 24 and 25, the inner center 24 being rotated by the motorI9 to rotate the bobbin.

A bracket 50 is provided at the lower end of upright frame element I5and any suitable package holder 55 mounted on the bracket 50 carries thesupply package of thread P, which is typically a conical package ofseveral pounds of thread wound on a paper core.

The thread T runs upwardly to the winding bobbin B through a suitablethread guide I02 (Figs. 2 and 9 and tension devices I64, I04 and throughan open eye III'I at the outer end of a swinging thread detector wireI07, to a traversing thread guide assembly 23.

The detector wire I0! preferably controls the motor I9 on the individualwinding unit in known manner, so as to stop motor in the event ofexhaustion of the thread. The detector wire I0! is thus shown in Fig. 2,as having an upper horizontal portion IOI mounted in a bearing I09 and arearwardly extending crank portion IIl'I engaging the lower surface of aknock-off finger Or latch member IIl'l which is fast on a partiallyrotatable knock-off rod I01 In normal winding a notch IITI in the latchmember I07 engages and holds to the right the upper end of abrushcontrolling lever I08 corresponding to the arm 251 of Fig. 15 ofUnited States Patent No. 2,426,168 to maintain the brushes of thewinding unit in contact with the stationary conductor bars 20, forinstance through brush-controlling mechanism such as is shown ascontrolled by the arm indicated at 463 in Figs. 16 and 17 of UnitedStates Patent No. 2,377,367.

The thread guide assembly 23 is preferably of the type that isfrictionally mounted for sliding movement upon a traverse rod 23 whichis reciprocated with a short stroke of traverse by suitable traverse camand linkage connections from the motor I9. During the winding of thebobbin the thread guide assembly 23 is progressively advanced along therod 23, from near the base of the bobbin to near the tip of the bobbinby means of a stationary overhead abutment or cam similar to thatdescribed in U. S. Patent No. 2,362,455 which reacts upon an upstandingroller 42 upon the thread guide assembly, thus providing the fillingtype of winding on the bobbin.

This mode of advancing the thread guide assembly is preferred for usewith the present invention in that it avoids need for any feelerengaging the winding bobbin and permits shift- 4 ing the thread guide tothe region of the base center 24 while the winding bobbin is still heldby the centers and without displacement of other parts of the windingunit.

The thread guide assembly includes certain parts similar to parts of thethread guide assembly in Patent No. 2,426,168, but simplified because ofcontrol of theprogression by a stationary overhead abutment or cam as inPatent No. 2,362,455 and consequent elimination of feeler mechanism fromthe thread guide assembly.

Thus as best shown in Figs. 3 to 6 the thread guide assembly 23 includesan upper plate BI and a lower plate 62 connected by vertical end pieces63, 64 of fiber-composition material which frictionally engage thereciprocating traverse rod 23. The thread guide assembly also includes atubular element 65 of fiber-composition material wrapped around thetraverse rod 23 and compressively held in frictional engagementtherewith by an inwardly pressing spring jacket 66. An upstanding pincarries the roller 42 by which the thread guide assembly is shifted ineither direction along the traverse rod.

A rearwardly extending portion of the upper plate BI carries a guideblock 61 which is slidable beneath a guide bar 68 on the winding unit.

Thread guide 23 is in the form of a wire bent to provide two parallelspaced portions beneath the winding bobbin, providing a narrow slitbetween them adapted to receive the thread. As shown in Fig. 2, thethread guide 23 is located so that the thread can app-roach the windingbobbin by running upwardly from beneath the thread guide, through thethread guide and thence further upwardly to the winding bobbin. Whenviewed as in Fig. 2, that is, at right angles to the axis of the windingbobbin and path of reciprocation of the thread guide, the course of thethread to and through the thread guide is a straight line, the threadguide not causing any appreciable bend of the thread as viewed from thispoint of view but merely causing the requisite shifting of the threadback and forth for distributing it on the winding bobbin. This resultsin imposition of a minimum of tension on the thread by the thread guide,and in particular avoids frictional snubbing action upon the thread, sothat there is no substantial tendency for the thread guide to cause thetension which exists in the thread approaching the thread guide to bemultiplied in the thread beyond the thread guide.

A preferred construction which Permits the thread guide 23 to be easilyand simply detachably held in place on the thread guide assembly isshown in Figs. 3 to 6. As there shown, particularly in Fig. 5, the lowerplate 62 is open in its middle portion and notched to receive anupstanding portion of the wire 23 and position this lengthwise of thethread guide assembly. The wire 23 then extends up to the top plate 6 Ithen over the top plate, and terminates in a laterally bent end portion23 which lies under the rearwardly extending part of the upper plate 6|.Thus the wire 23 is resiliently held in place as shown, but by beingslightly bent can be disengaged and removed, the opening in the bottomplate 62 permitting this removal.

As a winding unit enters the bobbin-changing mechanism of Fig. 1 fromthe left, the upstanding roller 42 of the thread guide assemblyencounters an inclined stationary cam or guide element 44 and the threadguide assembly is thereby shifted toward the base center 24 to carry thethread guide wire 23- behind, or to the right of in Fig.

9a, the plane of the face of the base center 24, the wound bobbin thusfar remaining in the centers 24 and 25.

Upon completion of this movement of the thread guide, the outer center25 of the winding unit is retracted, at the position aa by a crank arm35 on the winding unit encountering a nontraveling abutment 3 I. Theleft end of this abutment is preferably in the form of a rotatable wheel31 adapted to ease the movement of the crank arm 30 onto the abutment3|. The wound bobbin then drops from the centers 24 and 25 onto a lowerhorizontal stationary plow plate 32 which extends along the path oftravel of the winding units underneath their head portions. A generallyvertical plate 35 on the winding unit then pushes the discharged bobbinalong with the winding unit to the right end of the lower plow plate. Apolished metal plate 32 preferably overlies that portion of the lowerplow plate 32 traversed by the discharged bobbins, so as to minimize thefriction of travel of the discharged bobbins and minimize any tendencyof the discharged bobbins to roll rather than slide.

Preferably, preparatory to discharge of the wound bobbin B from thecenters 24 and 25 at the position aa, a small additional length ofthread is drawn through the tension devices ")4, ied by the eye IIl'I ofthe thread detector wire 37. An inclined cam plate I20 mounted on thelower face of plate 32 is adapted to engage the detector wire H17 andplow it to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 9, thus drawing threadupwardly from the package P through the tension devices I04, me. Theadditional thread thus provided facilitates the free dropping of thebobbin B from the centers, whereupon the thread moves the detector wireoutwardly to a position such as shown in full lines in Fig. 9

The run of thread which extends from the detector wire I97 to the threadguide wire 23 extends past the inner edge of the lower plow plate 32,between this inner edge and the head portion of the winding unit. Theinclined leading edge of the plow plate 32, first encountered by thethread as the winding unit enters from the left of Fig. 1, insures thatthis run of thread will not be caught and detained by the bobbinchangingmechanism.

Near the right end of the bobbin-changing mechanism, at position dd asshown in Fig. 1, the winding unit reaches bobbin-feeding mechanismindicated at 49 which may be that of Fig. 21 of said Patent No.2,377,367 at which an empty bobbin B is held by swingable fingers 55 and56 (Fig. 9 whereupon the outer center 25 closes upon the empty bobbin,forcing the base of this empty bobbin into the hollow base center 24,and thus causing this bobbin to be withdrawn from the bobbin-feedingmechanism.

An upper plow plate 53, at a level above the discharged bobbin, carriesthe cooperating blades of a cutter, blade 6b of which is pivoted andclosed automatically at each passage of a winding unit by any suitablemechanism, for instance by the mechanism for closing the correspondingblade as shown in application Serial No. 103,242, filed July 6, 1949. Ashereinafter explained, this cutter severs the thread between the newbobbin B and the old discharged bobbin B. Following such cutting, thedischarged bobbin B can drop off from the right end of the lower plowplate 32 into any suitable container or bobbin-arranging mechanism.

Position (1-11 of Fig. 9 and also Fig. 9 illustrate the thread asextending up to the thread guide wire 23 which is now behind or to theright of the plane of the face of the base center 24,

and thence to the discharge bobbin. Positions b-b, cc and dd of Fig. 9and the corresponding Figs. 9 9 and 9 show the subsequent action inpositioning the thread for engagement by the new bobbin.

The hollow center 24 of each unit, as shown in Fig. 7, is provided witha sleeve portion 2& which is keyed to a shaft 24 driven by the motor IQof Fig. 1, and rotatable in a bearing 24) in the casing 24 of the headof the winding unit. A retaining ring I surrounds the sleeve portion 24of the center with a loose fit and is secured to the casing 24 by screwsI50.

Each unit is provided with a wheel or disk I5I, having a flange I5I thewheel or disk I5I being rotatable on the retaining ring I59 andyieldingly urged in the clockwise direction in Fig. 8 by a coiled springI52 contained within the flange I5I Spring I52 may for example have oneof its ends held in a slot in the flange at I52 in Fig. 8, and the otherof its ends held by a pin E52 secured to the retaining ring 659. A studI54 on wheel I5I normally abuts against a resilient stop member I55mounted on a plate I56 which is secured between the retaining ring I50and the casing 24 of the unit.

The outer face of wheel IiiI carries an arm I59 spaced from theperiphery of the center 24 and terminating in a radially outwardlyextending thread-engaging hook or finger IE6 which lies approximatelyflush with the plane of the face of the center 24.

The preferred form of mechanism for actuating the wheels I5I and hooksI69 of the several winding units includes a non-traveling rack IIIiextending alon the automatic bobbin-changing mechanism over the path ofthe wheels I5I. To cooperate with such rack each wheel I5! is providedwith widely spaced teeth I 5 I extending only partially around itsperiphery.

A toothed wheel I5i of a unit, traveling to the right in Fig. 9 reachesthe position aa without any of its teeth engaging the rack I79. Slightlybeyond position aa the teeth of rack I79 begin and the teeth of wheelI5! are successively engaged by the teeth of the rack, rotating thewheel counterclockwise and bringing the hook Ifiil to a positionapproximately directly above the center 24. Following this rotation thelast tooth of the wheel then slides along against a non-toothed holdingportion I'Iii of the rack, maintaining the hook as shown at positionsc-c and dd until the end of the holding portion of the rack is reached.Thereupon, with the Wheel disengaged from the rack, its spring I52returns the wheel to its inactive position such as shown at positiona-a.

In the rotation of the wheel I 5| its threadengaging hook I50 engageswith that run of the thread which extends from the thread guide to thedischarged bobbin as shown in Figs. 9 and 9 and rotates around thecenter to carry the thread upwardly and across the center.

A preferred feature of the invention is that only one leg of the loop ofthread that is formed by this upward motion of the hook is disposedacross the center for engagement with a new bobbin, namely, that leg ofthe loop which extends from the hook I60 to the discharged bobbin.Because of the positions of the hook and thread guide relative to theplane of the face of the center, rotation of the hook disposes the otherleg of the loop, that is, the leg extending from the thread guide to thehook 160, out of position to be engaged by a new bobbin by progressivelywinding or wrapping this other leg of thread around the periphery of thecenter 24 as shown in positions bb and cc of Fig. 9 and Figs. .9 and 9.The periphery of the center 24 is preferably dished, as best shown inFig. '7, to retain the wrapped thread temporarily thereon.

The upper plow plate 53 assists in positioning the thread for-engagementbetween a new bobbin and the center 24 by plowing the thread whichextends from the hook '66 to the discharged =bobbin over toward thecenter, the beginning of this plowing action being shown in Fig. 9.

As the unit approaches the position of Fig. 9 the thread extends acrossand in front of the face of the center, close thereto. At the positionof Fig. 9 the new bobbin B is held by the swing-- able fingers 55 and'56 of the bobbin-feeding mechanism 45'. A crank arm 30 which controlsthe outer retractable center 25 leaves the abutment 3| and the outercenter closes upon the new bobbin, forcing into the hollow center thebase end of the bobbin and the thread which has been disposed in frontof the face of the center. The thread shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 asnow within the center is gripped between the bobbin base and the center.

Shortly beyond the position of Fig. 9 the thread extending from the newbobbin B to the discharged bobbin B is guided by the edge of the upperplow plate 53 in between the fixed and movable blades of the cutter, andthe movable blade 60 of the cutter is then closed to cut the thread,

for example by suitable actuating linkage operatedby the passing windingunits similarly to tie linkage shown for the purpose in applicationSerial No. 103,242, filed July 6, 1949. The thread guide and the edge oflower plow plate 32 maintain the thread which extends from the supplypackage to the thread guide out of the zone of action of the cutter.

At approximately the time the thread is cut, the member 1.60 returns toits inactive position, disengaging the thread. As in U. S. Patent No.2,362,455 the thread guide assembly can then be shifted into positionfor the start of windin by means of a suitable stationary overheadinclined uide or cam.

As explained above, the two legs of the loop formed by the hook I=G arepreferably kept separate and only one of these disposed in front of thecenter in position to .be gripped between the bobbin and center. Thishas the advantage of avoiding leaving an unnecessary number of ends ofthread extending out from between the base of the new bobbin and thecenter, and the possibility of fraying of these ends. This also has thefurther advantage of avoiding any entanglement or close proximity of thetwo legs of this loop, which would render it difficult then to separatethe part to be cut by the cutter and the part extending from the threadguide to the center which is not to be cut.

It will be observed that while in the apparatus shown in U. S. PatentNo. 2,426,168 a thread-positioning member, more especially a combinedclamp and cutter, is arranged to act on the threads of .the successivewinding units to position the thread for engagement by the new bobbin,the machine shown in the present application provides an individualthread-positioning member traveling with each winding unitand effectiveautomatically upon encountering the rack 110. This improved constructionavoids any need 'for a thread-positioning member to be swung into andout of the path of the traveling winding units, and this materiallyfacilitates rapid passage of the winding units past the place where thethread-positioning operation takes place, by removing the limitationsimposed by movement of a single thread-positioning member into and outof the path of the units.

Whereas the apparatus of U. S. Patent No. 2,426,168 employs athread-positioning member swingable about an axis above the path of thetraveling winding units, so as to be able to clear the passing units,the machine shown in the present application provides an individualthread-positioning member rotatable about the bobbinholding center, thusgreatly reducing the length of are through which the thread and thethreadpositioning member are swung, making the action easier, lessabrupt, and more certain.

. While the apparatus of Patent No. 2,426,168 acts to dispose the threadacross the center by first cutting and clamping the thread and thencarrying the clamped portions across the center, the .machine shown inthe present application places the thread without depending upon suchprevious cutting and clamping. This avoids all tendency of the thread tobe permanently pulled out from a clamp and cutter. This also avoidsdependence upon mere frictional holding of an end of the thread. Inaddition this improvement avoids any need for a rapid action of a cutterand clamp at an accurately timed point in the cycle of operation.

In the illustrated machine the thread is not out until after it has beensecurely gripped between the base end of the new bobbin and the center,and the end of thread thus cannot be lost during the positioningoperation. The cutting operation of the cutter '60 can be relativelyslow, and the cutter can be relatively large, and no great accuracy oftiming is required.

In addition to all .of the foregoing, the present invention has theadvantage of providing a very simple, compact construction ofthread-positioning mechanism, cheap enough to be economical to apply toeach of the many winding units of a traveling spindle winding machine.Since each of these individual thread-positioning mechanisms is calledupon to operate only once in each trip around the machine, its usablelife can be expected far to exceed that of a thread-positioningmechanism which is called upon to act upon the thread of each windingunit in succession. Also, if one such individual thread-positioningmechanism of the machine should fail, its winding unit can be readilyremoved for repair withut disabling the machine as a whole.

I claim:

1. An automatic winding machine including a center for rotatably holdinga winding bobbin and mechanism for supplying fresh bobbins to thecenter, a thread guide located beneath the winding bobbin so that threadcan approach the winding bobbin by running upwardly from beneath thethread guide, through the thread guide and thence upwardly to the windinbobbin, means for discharging a wound bobbin downwardly from saidcenter, a member engageable with the thread which extends from thethread guide to the discharged bobbin and movable to carry a lop ofthread upwardly to dispose at least a portion of the loop in position tobe engaged between said center and a fresh bobbin supplied to .saidcenter, and mechanism for severing that 9 leg of said loop of threadwhich extends from the fresh bobbin to the discharged bobbin after saidfresh bobbin has been supplied to the center.

2. An automatic winding machine including a center for rotatably holdinga winding bobbin and mechanism for supplying fresh bobbins to thecenter, a thread guide located beneath the winding bobbin so that threadcan approach the winding bobbin by running upwardly from beneath thethread guide, through the thread guide and thence upwardly to thewinding bobbin, means for discharging a wound bobbin downwardly fromsaid center, a member engageable with the thread which extends from thethread guide to the discharged bobbin and movable to carry a loop ofthread upwardly in such position as to dispose one leg of said loop inposition to be engaged between said center and a fresh bobbin suppliedto said center and the other leg of said loop out of position to beengaged between such fresh bobbin and the center.

3. An automatic winding machine including a center for rotatably holdinga winding bobbin and mechanism for supplying fresh bobbins to thecenter, a thread guide located beneath the winding bobbin so that threadcan approach the winding bobbin by running upwardly from beneath thethread guide, through the thread guide and thence upwardly to thewinding bobbin, means for discharging a wound bobbin downwardly fromsaid center, a member engageable with the thread which extends from thethread guide to the discharged bobbin and movable to carry a loop ofthread upwardly in such position as to dispose that leg of said loopwhich extends from said member to the discharged bobbin in position tobe engaged between said center and a fresh bobbin supplied to saidcenter and the leg of said loop that extends from said member to thethread guide out of position to be engaged between said fresh bobbin andthe center.

4, An automatic winding machine including a center for rotatably holdinga winding bobbin and mechanism for supplying fresh bobbins to thecenter, a thread guide located beneath the winding bobbin so that threadcan approach the winding bobbin by running upwardly from beneath thethread guide, through the thread guide thence upwardly to the windingbobbin, means for discharging a wound bobbin downwardly from saidcenter, and a member engagea'ole with the thread which extends from thethread guide to the discharged bobbin and rotatable around the center tocarry a loop of thread upwardly and dispose one leg of such loop infront of the face of the center while winding the other leg of such looparound the periphery of the center, out of position for engagement witha fresh bobbin.

5. An automatic winding machine including a center for rotatably holdinga winding bobbin and mechanism for supplying fresh bobbins to thecenter, a thread guide located beneath the winding bobbin so that threadcan approach the winding bobbin by running upwardly from beneath thethread guide, through the thread guide and thence upwardly to thewinding bobbin, means for discharging a wound bobbin downwardly fromsaid center, a member engageable with the thread which extends from thethread guide to the discharged bobbin and rotatable around the center tocarry a loop of thread upwardly and dispose in front of the face of thecenter that leg of the loop which extends from said rotatable member tothe discharged bobbin, the machine including mechanism acting toposition the thread which extends from the thread guide to saidrotatable member so that a portion of such thread is wound around theperiphery of the center, out of the way of a fresh bobbin.

6. An automatic winding machine including a center for rotatably holdinga winding bobbin and mechanism for supplying fresh bobbins to thecenter, a thread guide located beneath the winding bobbin so that threadcan approach the winding bobbin by running upwardly from beneath thethread guide, through the thread guide and thence upwardly to thewinding bobbin, means for discharging a Wound bobbin downwardly fromsaid center, a member engageable with the thread which extends from thethread guide to the discharged bobbin and rotatable around the center tocarry a loop of thread upwardly and dispose in front of the face of thecenter that leg of the loop which extends from said rotatable member tothe discharged bobbin, the machine including mechanism acting to position the thread guide so that the leg of the loop which extends from thethread guide to said rotatable member is wound around the periphery ofthe center.

7. In an automatic winding machine having relative traveling motionbetween a plurality of winding units and a tending mechanism which isadapted to supply new winding bobbins to the winding units insuccession: a rotatable threadpositioning member on each winding unit,said member being rotatable against a restoring force to position thethread of that unit for engagement with a new winding bobbin, and amember associated with the tending mechanism for rotating the severalsaid thread-positioning members on the several winding units.

8. In an automatic winding machine having relative traveling motionbetween a plurality of winding units and a tending mechanism which isadapted to supply new winding bobbins to the winding units insuccession: a rotatable threadpositioning member on each winding unit, aspring adapted to restore each said member to an idle position, a rackassociated with the tending mechanism for rotating the several gears toa position to dispose the thread of the winding unit for engagement witha new winding bobbin, the rack having a holding portion effective todetain each gear in its last-named position as the winding unitencounters the bobbin-supplying mechanism, the thread-positioning memberthen being returned to an idle position by said restoring means.

WINTHROP L. PERRY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,035,721 Reiners Mar. 31, 19362,426,168 Abbott Aug. 26, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date453,678 Great Britain Sept. 16, 1936

